Empress's Endgame (Book 5 and final of the Death Incanate Saga) Read online

  The majestic white griffin king lay on his side like a great tiger, only twice the size with wings and an eagle’s head. He took such a size to be larger than all the other cubs could be at the moment. Most chose a lion’s size, being as big as possible, but some were barely larger than a hummingbird. None were old enough to grow a coat or feathers, meaning each were bright pink and hairless. Their large eyes and pudgy appearance gave them an adorable appeal, but their claws and talons were still deadly sharp.

  Before Daku could reply Cage turned his head and met a set of ochre eyes and pointed Ghosts Bane, his pale white sword only he could inherit, at the hairless cub. “Don’t even think about it. Put your back end down now. You will not test yourselves and incite a mob attack.”

  Apparently the cub recognized the pale blade as shock had him sitting. Then its yellow beak parted to say in a high pitched, childlike tone “But I promise not to draw blood.”

  Cage grinned, but it was Daku who didn’t move and said “He’s not threatening you, Cub. He was protecting you. You were about to attack the wrong female. Brooke would have killed you before you could touch her.” Brooke smiled as she twirled around her infamous tomahawks with the crow feathers fluttering both beautifully and threatening. “You will not disobey me again, Young One. I warned you not to attempt to harm my partner’s mates. The three carry weapons to match our claws and they are extremely deadly. You may play as I’ve instructed, but hurting is prohibited. If you all cannot behave in my absence you will be punished for disobedience against your king. Did my orders get distorted this time as well?”

  The cub and several others laid flat, hearing the command of their king apply a gentle force of dominance in his words. The show of submission proved it was understood completely this time.

  Seeing this reaction, Cage sheathed Ghosts Bane behind his right shoulder. “Sounds like you are allowing the girls to stay while we are at the meeting?”

  “He is.” A female griffin said as she walked around a nest, carrying a kitten size female between her featherless wings. “Our mate selected us as watchers, under Mox’s supervision, of our flock.”

  “Then you must be…?” Cage prompted.

  “My mate and I selected a name as we awoke.” the one with a rustier beak that carried the smaller said. “I have chosen Matalu after my mother before she fell in the nexus conflict.”

  The intentionally smaller, gray beaked female said “And I am Metali, mate to Metalu and Daku. I selected this name as it resembles my female’s.”

  Cage knelt in front of them and watched Metali climb up and stand on Metalu’s head. “And both are very pretty names for so pretty of ladies.”

  “You two are so adorable.” Meeka gushed as she knelt and stroked the pairs cheeks slowly. “Do you remember me?”

  Metalu shook her head, but enjoyed the caress greatly. “We are sorry, our minds are clouded. Too many memories. Language is difficult enough to retain. You smell pretty.”

  “Fear not, Meeka.” Daku said as his head appeared above hers when he saw her hesitate. “My mates do not mean as a meal. And they won’t remember you tomorrow. They are too young. Only my words are retained because I am a king. You are not food and they know it.” He kept speaking as Metali pounced off her female and climbed him by his fur, but he didn’t pay any attention as she curled up between the hollow of his large shoulders. “You just smell good to her, like a fellow female who bathed in flowers. They will not hunt you for your meat, My Friend, that impression will not change. Metallu is the strongest cub without rival and will tend the flock while Cage and I are occupied. And since the two of you have taken a liking to each other, remain close. The other cubs will not even try harming her for they all know she and Matali are mine and what I’ll do to them if they even get scratched. I do though think it would be good for the three of you” He said as Tohka and Brooke knelt too and rubbed Metallu’s baby smooth skin. “to tell stories. They will not remember later, but if you can impress upon them your calming voices, scent and tones, it will aid their development as individuals.”

  “This one has no scent.” Another small cub snuck up and put his beak on Brooke’s thigh.

  “No, I do not. But only me. My mates have one. May I hold you?”

  “I would like that.” The cub smiled and was scooped up and squeaked as she embraced him.

  “Metalu, I would like to hold you too, but can you shrink down for me?” Tohka asked softly.

  In answer, Metalu shrunk from a lioness down to a large housecat, but smaller than Frill. Tohka embraced her and the griffin purred as her head lay on two soft breasts. “I like this place. It is warm.” The cub purred.

  Meeka stole Metali and also placed her between her artfully tattooed breasts and became content before even managing to feel affronted from being taken from her male mate.

  Daku and Cage stepped back as more and more cubs came down and over to meet the three women. One picked up a knife and cut herself. She put it down and watched as the blood stopped quickly and turned blue. Eyes turned to Meeka who healed it without asking for thanks. She told them not to touch her knife again, before scooping up the crying cub and consoled her. “I think they hit it off quite nicely. Don’t you?”

  “Indeed.” Daku admired with sparkling blue eyes. The setting in his furry jaw spoke to Cage at how hard this was. Daku heard the transmitted thoughts, but spoke softly. “No, my worry is all this is a dream and when we leave to come back, I fear they will not be real. It has been so long, to part so soon is difficult.”

  “If it’ll help I can bring the meeting over here. You can sit on my shoulder like always while we all stand on the water…”

  “No, we will remain to the plan. As you’ve told me, time alone for a few hours will do me some good and I know the females will be beneficial to aiding all the cubs.” Blue eyes shifted. “Mox, remember…”

  “All is well, White King.” The patient dragon said from two hundred feet away. “The two-legs’ will be Jumped at first sign of danger and I will make sure the spirit-mated cubs mount each other in your absence. My word is given in this. Go fly and fight.”

  “Enjoy, Girls. We’re heading out.” Cage said as he jumped up on Daku.

  “Be safe.” They all called out as Daku spread his great wingspan and shot into the sky. Wind, cool and moist from crashing waves, relaxed the mind while invigorating the spirit.

  It had been a week since all the griffins hatched and after each one had its fill of wyvern, they all fell deeply asleep. It was then proposed by the leader of the revitalized flock to isolate them for everyone’s safety and for six days thereafter Cage and his best friend in all of existence had been parted. If not for the Mind-link it would have been almost unbearable for it seemed a warlock’s ascension and his Familiar found it difficult to remain apart for an extended time. Being together again was uplifting and they could feel brotherly love for each other remain unbreakable. Though it did seem stronger after the separation. Daku flew higher and higher, through the clouds and past the barrier protecting their home and families.

  Not needing to be told why they came so high, Cage jumped off his Familiar’s back once Daku leveled out. Cage’s forest green robe automatically adjusted to a skintight suit, feeling the wind threatening to rip it off his body. Without yelling ‘Wing-suit Mode.’ it would remain skintight. Right now it wasn’t required.

  The heart pounding freefall gave a blissful jolt of adrenaline coffee could never deliver as a grin spread. Cage shot towards the expansive ocean headfirst without a lick of fear. Only he didn’t go down alone and Daku’s streamline form, tucked wings and cry of excitement dropped right next to him. Daku’s inner eyelid closed at the too strong of wind and Cage too required protection and made a small barrier around his face to protect his sensitive eyes. They dropped together at over two hundred and sixty miles per hour and went up so high that it was a two minute freefall before Cage decelerated by flattening out to then create his black surfboard to fly. Daku merely s
pread his forty foot wide wingspan and they began circling around to the east side of their home.

  A visitor though stood on the large round pier where ships could dock or dragons could land. Bright orange and red scales glistened like fire. Four proud horns displayed ten foot tall golden rings only a dragon leader may carry. Rex Gralla’s large head looked at their approach and smiled in her way, showing pearly white, sharply curved teeth longer than a man’s arm. Three reddish orange ruby’s sat between the four horns and were each over five feet long and oval, about three wide and one deep. Together Cage and Daku landed almost as if it were choreographed by a dancer and artist’s finest work.

  The warlock raised an eyebrow while speaking in her native tongue. “Gralla, you’re early for the meeting. It won’t start for another four hours.”

  “I understand this, but I came to spend time with my mate and our daughter, Xamii. I’m curious to see how far Moril has come. I will not have available time after the convening. Much work will be required after, but I’ve been given a minor reprieve during these hours.” She growled back with calm and ancient confidence.

  “And you couldn’t get in with your old password either.” He smiled and she grunted. “It’s alright. I needed to change it, but I’ve given you and Mox alone your own unique entrance and so long as you do not abuse my trust, I’ll not change it and it must remain your secret.” The intensity of her fiery gaze said she was paying complete attention. “Mox said you would understand this meaning alone and in this language it must be spoken. Thirty two words associated with the Sapphire of Ruldamn.” He cryptically said.

  Her eye lit up immediately and she hummed while slapping her wings, the dragon equivalent if flushing with love for her mate. “I know it well. It is our secret.”

  “And a beautiful one too. He trusted me with it as payment for giving the two of you access. He said I’m the only living being aside from you who knows, not even your children know it.” Cage said.

  Rex Gralla showed surprise at this and lowered her massive head that could swallow him whole without the decency of being considered a snack. “He did? This surprises me greatly, but if you can speak of its beauty in this language you hold a sacred trust. I will honor my mate’s decision, you have shown to be honorable.”

  “Come on, go try it out. Daku and I have something we need to do.”

  “I shall.” Her extensively muscled neck lifted her head before she walked pass them, creating small tremors through the long pier and caused the water to ripple out from it.

  They watched as she walked right up to the pillars which didn’t even reach half her height, but a ghostly human skull over ten feet tall appeared more than twenty feet from her snout, it’s ghostly white jaw moving silently. She opened her maw and replied, no one else hearing her command thanks to silencing spells that now are as strong as his power as an elite warlock. It vanished a moment later and she walked straight ahead down the wooden pier.

  “Care to show me all you have learned in my absence?” Daku asked as he rolled one wrist at a time while the fleshy corners of his glistening white beak curved up into a smile that reached those vibrant sky blue eyes.

  “Hell yeah!”

  Cage stripped out of his robe and wrapped the cloth around Ghosts Bane and set it aside. Daku stalked slowly sideways like a lion ready to pounce while half extending his wings and purring in anticipation. It was his instinctive griffin battle style. Cage no longer had to think so hard on his new styles after doing them over and over, committing them to muscle memory.

  The warlock balled his fists while mana flowed from his fingertips. The way they curved into a ball left a small void which acted as a container, allowing the raw mana to spiral into a miniature vortex without sound. It consumed a great deal of power, but what was amazing was it spiraled without getting larger and blasting his fist open, quickly gaining tremendous power without being seen, but seeing Daku stop and how he warily glared proved he knew what was coming. His powerful eyes could see the flow of mana and magic. Cage’s fists weren’t all that would come. Power gathered behind both heels as well as around his thighs. Behind his heel looked like three marbles in a triangular formation while around his thighs looked to be an invisible ring spiraling less than a half inch from his flesh.

  The moment of hesitation cost Daku when one of the marble-like spheres exploded, thereby propelling Cage’s feet forward, crossing twenty feet in under a second. His feet barely planted on the wood’s surface before sending a left uppercut beneath Daku’s chin. His solid foundation kept him from falling while Daku was blasted ten feet high as the vortex sent a pressure-wave of air through a small crack created by a punch’s impact which released all the energy contained inside the fist to double the effectiveness of a natural punch. Daku seemed to hang upside down in the air, unconscious for a moment, and as he came back down Cage’s right fist shot forward to connect with Daku’s side and leaned heavily into it. A second blast at this angle threw Cage’s back straight up, but Daku was sent flying, hit the ground to bounce and barely miss hitting the railing to get thrown out over the water.

  Daku came to his senses thanks to pain and snapped his wings out to stop the rotation and fly. His hand held his ribs, both knowing they had been cracked or broken. Then instead of taking a break, Daku roared and dove for his Summoner. The powerful wings of a griffin have no equal, and the attack was fast and reached the target. Three claws managed to sink in Cage’s abdomen. Fingers hooked to make an anchor point and whip around to pick up Cage and throw him. The release allowed Cage to flip and send the rings around his thighs down to the bottom’s of his feet and the focused blast shot him like a rocket back to Daku and flip around to release the remaining four marble-size spheres into a double kick of great proportions.

  But it didn’t connect properly as Daku managed to lift his right wing at the last possible moment. Daku’s skin is tougher than leather, but the feathers of his wings are tougher than steel and are comparable to dragon scales. Foot met wing and bone’s broke. Cage bit back a cry of pain as his feet turned to mush. A wing flick sent Cage off balance and before hitting the ground a sharp beak surrounded his neck. Blood flowed, but more like a cradle as Daku only bit to act as a neck brace. Sharp pain on his forehead sent Cage’s vision white a moment before returning as Daku rolled his partner over. “That was a close one. My wing acted like a wheel and would have broken your neck and knocked you unconscious if I hadn’t had your neck. Beautiful execution of that attack. I almost forgot about it. It is one of the two most advanced high speed, close range attacks.”

  A strand of thought began healing all his wounds as well as Daku’s. The griffin’s chin, ribs and a minor wing fracture was repaired instantly. Cage sat up and wiped the blood from his neck to say “Gotta tell you it knocked me on my ass a thousand times before I got the output just right. The marble trio behind my heels were difficult. Too much power sent me into an unintended back flip because it shoots my legs out faster than they can possibly strike on their own. I’m really thinking of using magic to make my bones more dense and thicker. If I hadn’t trained all my life, my bones would have constantly shattered, like my feet did when you lifted your wing. My muscles can react quickly enough, but many of the moves really damage my skeleton.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t done so already.” Daku offered a hand and helped Cage to his feet. “These attacks put too much strain on your body. You will need to consume large quantities of milk to create the bones needed to resist the impacts. Be mindful not to make them too dense or you will be too heavy to move properly. For you, I would say to find a way to measure the weight of your skeleton and double it. That should be plenty for you and not be much of a noticeable difference. Likely it will increase your natural strength and that of the weight behind each of your strikes.”

  “But will I slow down too much? That is why I hesitate. If I sacrifice strength for speed I’ll be going against all I’ve been taught and believe. You are too fast to begin with
and I barely managed to augment that with what I did to you. Even if I slow down a hundredth of a second, you will exploit it.”

  Daku sat and gave his human a level look. “Your natural body is the most amazing weapon I’ve ever seen in your kind, but warlocks who dedicated themselves to mastering what you’ve only begun mastering had to make certain sacrifices to gain an even greater state. And your power has few equal. One of whom will be coming and between us, Nattan’s immense size isn’t completely natural. Yes he is by far the largest dragon you will likely ever meet, but he has mastered his peoples martial arts and has had to make minor sacrifices to reach such levels. His bones as well are enhanced. He is a dozen feel longer than natural, but in comparison it is not noticeable. If you wish to remain fast while constantly breaking your bones, be my guest, as you humans say. But if you are to stand against the extreme forces you oppose, sacrifices must be taken for your own health. If you focus more on speed rather than strength, new and heavier bones will take up the slack you pass up.” Daku stood and fluffed his wings. “Now, show me what other steps you’ve mastered.”